1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical wiring techniques and more particularly to a tool useful in removing insulated wires from the ends of a braided shielded cable without damaging the wire insulation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of electronic shielded cables have one or more insulated conductors surrounded by a metallic braided shield which itself is covered by an outer layer of insulation, e.g. RG-58 or ECxx40-xSTx, are typical of such shielded cables. The braided shielding consists of a multitude of very fine wires woven into a continuous tubular braid. When electrically connected to a ground potential, the braided wires impede the transmission of electromagnetic fields thereby shielding the inner conductor(s) from unwanted extraneous signals--generally referred to as noise. The braided shield and the inner conductors may be electrically connected to a multitude of different types of pins, terminals, and connectors with the shield normally being grounded. When connecting up the wires in the shielded cable, the ends of the inner conductors are removed from the normal position inside the shielding by either unweaving the shielding and bending the wire mesh back or by poking the inner conductors through an opening in the mesh leaving the shield substantially intact. The later method is usually preferred since it is electrically equivalent to unweaving, but is economically superior since it automatically results in a "braid conductor" that is easily connected to a ground without soldering or other costly types of connectors.
In a manufacturing cable wiring process, where large numbers of shielded cables are used, the insulation is frequently damped in separating the insulated wires from the shield. Among the tools that have been used to grab the insulated wires to remove them from the shield are needle nose pliers, dental hooks, wood nails, stiff wire hooks, fishing hooks, straight wooden sticks (cuticle pushers), and the like. All of these nonspecific tools can and do occasionally damage the insulation covering the wires by puncturing the insulation, by bending the wires at too great an angle or by applying too great a force over too small an area. Unfortunately such damage often produces latent defects which, if gone undetected, can cause electrical shorts which results in malfunctions in the equipment used in conjunction therewith. Even if detected during manufacture (usually with high voltages being applied to the inner conductors) the faulty cables must be replaced and reassembled. Either outcome is expensive to the manufacturer.
Thus what is desired is a simple and cost effective technique and tool for extracting one or more insulated wires from the surrounding shield which does not do damage to the insulation on the inner wires.